Hi Fintech friends 👋,

Here are the highlights of what happened in African Fintech this week;

• Uber backed Africa’s Mobility Fintech partnered with Alphabet's Waymo in the US.
• Three African-Francophone Fintechs announced funding deals.
• Africa based VC raised $42 million in the first close to invest and create 10,000 jobs in African startups.
• Co-founders of Africa’s most valuable Fintech launched Y-Combinator alternatives for Africa.
• Founder of Tanzania’s biggest Fintech shared insights on the reality of building a Tech company.
• Africa’s biggest mobile money hit 34 million users.

💸Fundraise and Exits

• Ivorian fintech HUB2 raised $8.5 Million to become the “Stripe of Francophone Africa”.

• Tunisian payments startup Konnect secured funding from Renew Capital.

• Morocco-based fintech Premium Technology & Services (PTS) raised $500K from BMCE Capital Investments.

💰 Venture Funds

• Seedstars Africa Ventures I raised $42 million in the first close to invest and create 10,000 jobs in African startups.

🚀 Partnerships & Product Launches

• Tanzania based ClickPesa launched a platform to help microfinances serve better SMEs.

• Paystack partnered with Vendy to power payments on WhatsApp shops.

👔 Leadership Lineup

• Co-founders of Flutterwave, the biggest African Fintech, launched Y-Combinator alternatives to back more African startups. 

📰 News of the Week

• Nigeria's Moove partnered Alphabet's Waymo in the US, breaking new ground in global fleet management.

Moove, a Nigerian-born fintech startup, has entered into a partnership with Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving vehicle division, to manage fleets of autonomous vehicles in Phoenix, Arizona, and Miami, Florida.

Uber backed Moove, which provides revenue-based vehicle financing to mobility entrepreneurs, particularly those underserved by traditional financial institutions,has expanded its operations to multiple continents, including recent entries into Mexico and India. The company’s growth underscores the potential of African startups to contribute to advanced global technologies.

👀 Eye Openers

• What does it take to build a Tech company in Africa? The Founder and CEO of Selcom, the biggest fintech in Tanzania, shared a few insights 👇🏿;

📑 Read of the week

• What African Banks and Fintechs Can Learn from Spotify, TikTok, Tinder, and Netflix.(Cofounder’s Notebook).

📖 Other News, Reads, and Media

• M-PESA hit 34 million subscribers in November, strengthening financial inclusion across Africa.

🎥 VIDEO INTERVIEWS/DISCUSSIONS

• Interview with Ifelade Ayodele, co-founder and CEO of Blaaiz, a cross-border payment and remittance company that raised $1.5 Million. He shared his  journey from studying physics to working in finance and eventually founding Blaaiz.

🦉 Tweet of the Week

🎯 Fintech Opportunities

• Post revenue African startups in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda are invited to apply for EUR 100,000 in non-dilutive funding and technical assistance.

Made in Tanzania 🇹🇿 with 💚

👍🏽👎🏽  Did you enjoy this edition of This Week In Fintech Africa? Please share your feedback with me on Twitter or LinkedIn .